Avatar: The Last Airbender: Against the Void
by JohnnyReb
Summary: The One Hundred Year War may be over, but the balance of the world is far from restored. During a time of uneasy peace, insurgents plague the reconstruction of Ba Sing Se. However, this is merely a prelude of things to come. A new force bent on reshaping the world could start a new war, one that could twist everything Aang and his friends hold dear. Sokka/Toph, Aang/Katara
1. Chapter 1: The Council of Ten

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Against the Void

By Jason Olin

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Disclaimer: All rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender belong to Nickelodeon Animation Studios.

The author would like to thank Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan for creating such a wonderful world for a writer to play in.

This work was inspired by Justthisguyyouknow and his incredible story "I'll walk you home".

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Prologue:

The sun rose over Ba Sing Se, bringing another day of gentle spring warmth to the still recovering city of rock and metal.

Two weeks ago to the day, Phoenix King Ozai had been defeated in battle by the Avatar in single combat and stripped of his firebending powers. On that day, the One Hundred Year War brought on by the aggression of the Fire Nation gave a gasp of finality and burned out like a candle that had run out of wick. The drums of war extinguished along with the purging flames that had almost ravaged the entirety of the Earth Kingdom. For the first time in a century, a chance for balance and lasting peace gave a glimmer of hope to the four kingdoms that had been ravaged by imperial idealism, war, destruction, and occupation. It was a new day that would hopefully usher in a new era of peace and prosperity, or so everyone believed.

But that was a fairytale end to a story best enjoyed within the confines of a library. In reality things were far from that simple. The war was over, but that did not mean everyone accepted it. Having come so far and nearly conquered the entire world, some within the Fire Nation refused to accept defeat based only on the fact that their leader had been defeated. Ill feelings were felt by many in the Earth Nation as well, especially by citizens who'd endured years or decades of harsh occupation and ill treatment by invaders who viewed the Earth People as backwards and savage.

The war for the freedom and safety of the world was over. Now began the battle to restore its balance.

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Chapter 1: The Council of Ten

Oblivious to the state of the world outside the walled earthbender capital city, Aang slept on his futon of jumbled sheets. The mid-morning sun continued its upward advance, shining its rays passed through the half-way open wooden blinds and onto his face, causing him to turn his head away with a muffled groan. Napping near his caretaker after a busy morning of hunting beetle/grasshoppers for breakfast, Momo's tail twitched as he dreamed, inadvertently placing the end of his tail squarely against Aang's nostrils.

The Avatar awoke sneezing, startling Momo.

Blinking his eyes, Aang sat up quickly and yawned, stretching in place. Rubbing his eyes, he looked down at the wide-eyed winged lemur and flashed a cheerful smile. "Morning Momo!"

The little creature looked up at him and relaxed, offering its own greetings of clicks and squawks.

Flipping to his feet, the monk used a burst of airbending to call his robes resting on a chair across the room into his hands and put them on, cinching his belt snuggly around the waist before opening the window and flipping up into the roof of the provided guest house to get a feel for the coming day.

The banging of hammers echoed throughout the recently liberated city as he surveyed the expanse of buildings that cascaded down from the upper ring where the royalty and well-to-do officials of the city took up residence. He took a deep breath, stretched again, and purged his mind of any remaining drowsiness. With a soft screech, Momo joined him on the rooftop and worked his way up to Aang's shoulder. He received a playful scratch behind the ears for his troubles.

The majestic city had suffered extensive damage during the liberation campaign waged by the Order of the White Lotus. To their credit, the Fire Nation did not give up without a fight and the districts of the city had paid the price. As Aang looked out at the vast city he watched the last of the emergency relief workers starting out to get started on another long day of repairs.

The rebuilding campaign normally wouldn't have taken terribly long considering the talent of the earthbenders. The damaged building foundations could be repaired quickly and considering that he and Toph had been helping out for the last week, repairs were going quicker than expected.

A small two room house rose up into existence nearby, carved from the rock foundation on which it sat. In front Toph moved her hands so fast they were a blur, using her impressive skills to not only bend the house and roof but also to leave square holes for windows and doors. Unable to admire her own handiwork, she turned and looked up towards the roof of their house, having sensed Aang's rooftop ascension through her feet. "Hey, Twinkle Toes! How does it look?"

"Looks good to me!" he called down. "I think you've found your calling in life."

Toph snorted. "Please. I'd rather be in an arena kicking butt than playing architect any old day. Why aren't you down here helping anyways?"

Aang laughed and sheepishly put one hand behind his head. "I uh, kind of overslept."

"Hurry up and eat lazybones! I'm not gonna do this all day by myself." Toph pointed one hand towards the roof of the house she'd been constructing and made a few quick slash marks in the air with her index finger as stone tiles rose from the house and formed a roof.

"Pardon me miss," an older gentleman said, walking up to her. "But my house had columns on either side of the front door."

Without missing a beat or turning away from facing Aang's general direction she stomped her foot into the ground and scuffed her heel to the side. Two pillars shot up from the ground and connected to the bottom of the roof. The older man was almost beside him with joy.

Toph leveled a finger in Aang's direction but pointed far too low. "Hurry up already!"

"You got it!" Aang summoned a sphere of air and sat on it, zipping across the roof and down to the ground level area located in the backyard.

The sounds of battle reached his ears and he dispersed the air ball several feet off the ground and landed lightly. This action caught the attention of Sokka who paused, sword in hand, to look at his friend.

"Hey lover boy," he teased, flashing a mischievous grin.

Aang fixed him with a stare. Ever since he and Katara had announced their relationship Sokka had started teasing him unmercifully.

"Eyes front Sokka!"

A booted foot caught him in the chest and knocked the stunned teen backwards off balance. Comically spinning his arms around in a circle to try and keep upright, he tripped over one of the large stones bordering the koi pond and fell backwards into the water with a yelp. Laughter from Aang serenaded the none-too-graceful water tribe warrior as he pulled himself out of the pool and directly in front of Suki who just stared at him with her hands on her hips. Both of them were clad in their Kiyoshi uniforms but Soka was armed with a sword instead of a fan and had elected to not paint his face. It ended up being a good decision as the pond water would have caused it to run into his eyes.

"You can't let yourself be distracted in the middle of a battle," she chastised sharply. "In battle-"

Sakka spit out a stream of water from the pond and rose to his feet, trying to get water out of his ear with a pinky finger. "Your opponent should be the only thing you focus your attention on," he finished. "Sorry, I goofed."

Suki's painted face cracked into a slight smile and she readied her metal fan, gesturing for him to come at her. "If you know that then let us continue. The winner has to buy lunch today."

"What?! But I bought lunch the last three days in a row!"

"So what does that tell you about ability to focus while training? Just because the war is over doesn't mean the training stops, right?"

"Alright! Point taken! Here I come!" Sword raised at the ready, he charged.

The teen dipped the blade point towards the ground and swung upwards at an angle, cutting off the tip of the grass and aiming for her head. Suki reacted quickly and blocked with her forearm shield, but her boyfriend was strong and the force of the movement knocked her back several feet. She turned the backward motion into a graceful spin. The golden tassels that bordered her face danced as she landed into a low crouch and came at him again.

The two had begun training together a few days after the war had ended. It had been Suki's idea and she'd batted away Sakka's reluctance to fight with real weapons with an old adage of her people: "the couple who trains together, stays together". Appealing to his warrior heart, he'd found it impossible to resist. Such had begun the healthy foundation for their relationship. Early in their sparring matches, Suki had become impressed with his skill with the sword he'd picked up in her absence. Their early matches had tested her endurance and the ability to adapt to a physically stronger opponent.

She zipped in closer, holding her fan behind her shield to hide the direction she planned to strike from until the last second. Sakka was on the move too however, and he rolled to the left as her fan came out of hiding and struck only thin air. He shot his leg out to sweep her, but she danced over his blow and landed soundly on one of the rocks bordering the pond.

"Not bad," she grinned confidently. "Let's see you evade this one 'lover boy.'"

"Hey!" Sokka protested. "That's Aang's nick- Ahh!"

The painted warrior leapt skyward and angled down toward him. Sakka performed a frontward roll and her fan struck the ground where he'd just been standing, kicking dirt into the air from the impact. Spinning on her heels, she turned one hundred eighty degrees as her boyfriend started to stand up behind her, turning as he did so.

What she didn't see was his weapon as he rose. The fan would have caught him square in the chest, but at the last second Sokka turned the sword around so that the hilt was facing the sky. He used his upward momentum to strike the hilt against her armored wrist, knocking the fan out of her hand. Surprised, Suki raised her shield and blocked a lunge attack as he sought to capitalize on his gains.

Digging her feet into the ground, she pushed back against his blade with the shield and gained enough distance to draw her katana. Performing a graceful flourish she came at him again and crossed blades. Breaking the sword lock, both of them continued the deadly dance. The dance of swords continued as both combatants periodically charged or fell back as they moved quickly around the yard, seeking to disarm each other.

Aang stifled a yawn, having seen the energetic couple spar every day for the past week and a half. Obeying the grumbling heed coming from his stomach he padded over to the house and jumped up onto the deck leading inside to the kitchen. A wonderful aroma greeted his nose and he leaned against the table just outside the cooking area, watching the most beautiful water bender in the world who just so happened to be his girlfriend as she cleaned up some of the dishes from breakfast.

"Morning Katara!"

At the sound of his voice, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a smile, her beaded hair loops jingling from the motion. "Good morning! I was wondering how long you were going to sleep. Hungry?"

"Starved!" Aang exclaimed with arms stretched out wide for emphasis. Gazing at her, he couldn't decide which was more radiant about her: the charming white smile or the shining blue eyes that gazed at him with unyielding affection.

Katara performed a few quick hand gestures and waterbent some warm soup with vegetables from a pot on the fire stove across the kitchen and neatly into a bowl. Aang took the bowl in hand and reached for a wooden spoon and Katara dried her hand on a towel and came to sit down with him. Aang made sure to praise her cooking with a chorus of "mmm" and "yum" sounds until the young girl was practically beaming with pride. It was the least he could do, Aang decided, especially considering that she made a special vegetable or fruit only meal just for him every day.

"Isn't this nice?" She said, leaning back in her chair. "No more war or crazy three-eyed crazies chasing us. No more sleeping on the hard ground or hunting for our food."

"Nice and peaceful," Aang agreed, polishing off the bowl and setting it off to the side.

"So what are you going to do today?"

"Well, Toph is waiting on me and I think we are supposed to head to the third ring and fix up some of the mass apartment buildings that had been demolished by Fire Nation tanks a few weeks back."

"Well don't forget to take a shower first," she instructed. "Ty Lee should be out of the bath soon. She had just finished sparring with Suki right before you came down."

Aang blinked. "She'd already fought a match before sparring with Sokka? Hahaha, that's impressive! Your brother's doomed!"

As if to give the comment credence, a cacophony of high pitched screams emanated from outside in the yard. "Ahh! Uncle! Uncle!"

"Uncle?! I don't see Iroh anywhere!"

"I give up! You win! Cease! Desist! Suki, I can't feel my kidneys!"

"Kidneys?! I've got you in an arm bar Sokka!"

"That just goes to show you how bad it hurts! Ease up already!"

Katara laughed softly at her brother's antics, shaking her head in amusement. Aang craned his head to watch the comedy as the lively sparring match ended with the water tribe boy tearfully forking out a few coins for lunch.

A light blush touched Katara's cheeks and she cleared her throat. "I, uh, thought maybe tonight we could go out to Lake Laogai and watch the fireflies. It would be nice to spend some time alone together, if you aren't too tired, I mean."

"You don't have to sell me on the idea," Aang grinned widely as the back door opened and a triumphant Suki led her boyfriend into the house, smiling deviously. The pair joined their friends at the table as Sokka rubbed at his sore arm, grumbling softly. Suki took off her headdress and tossed back her short brown hair, sighing contentedly.

"Don't pout Sokka," Katara said. "You lasted a lot longer than usual today."

"Yes, he did," Suki confirmed. "He might have beaten me had I not been able to disarm him and gotten that arm lock. His skills in hand-to-hand combat still need some work but he's getting there."

"See," Katara smiled. "Not so bad!"

"Yeah, Sakka grumbled, "Not so bad. Too bad I'm not as strong as lover-"

"Tease Aang like that again today and I'll drown you in the pond," Katara warned, crossing her arms over her blue water tribe robes as a vein on her forehead twitched.

"Aang," Sakka wisely corrected. "But I guess we can't all be the all-powerful Avatar."

"You are strong and smart," Suki corrected. "You almost single-handedly crashed a fleet of Fire Nation war ships as I recall."

"Well," Sokka said, puffing out his chest. "I guess that was pretty impressive."

"Not to mention you've just fully recovered the use of your leg thanks to Katara's healing ability. You're catching up to me more and more every day."

Sokka leaned back in his chair looking quite pleased with himself. He motioned for the praise to continue but a knock came from the front door and interrupted the conversation. Before anyone could get up to answer it, the door opened and Zuko entered, nodding in greetings to the group.

"Good morning," he nodded. "Sorry for letting myself in."

"What's up Zuko?" Aang waved energetically. "You want to practice some firebending today? I kinda have stuff to do today and if I'm late Toph will kill me. Hey, you aren't wearing your Fire Lord robes."

"Of course not," Sakka said, gesturing. "Ba Sing Se was just freed a few weeks ago from the Fire Army. Feelings towards the Fire Nation are going to remain a bit _hot_ for a while." He laughed at his own pun while everyone glared at him, Zuko included.

"Er, anyways, he won't gain as much negative attention when dressed in his old traveling armor," he finished, folding his arms across his chest muttering something under his breath about comedy being dead.

"Just so." Zuko confirmed. He did not take a seat but came over to stand by them all the same. "At any rate, I've come to fetch all of you. The Council of Ten would like to talk to all of us."

Aang looked around the table. "What's this Council of Ten?"

"Aang," Sokka face-palmed, "have you been living under a rock the last few weeks? The council is the temporary governing body of the city. It's made up of the five Earthbender generals and the five leading members of the Order of the White Lotus. They will govern until the Earth King can be found and persuaded to return. Hopefully to take a more hands on approach to ruling his country this time around."

"Oh wow," Aang exclaimed. "This meeting must be pretty important if they had the new Fire Lord deliver the message!"

Zuko cleared his throat. "They didn't actually. An Earth Kingdom messenger came to me and offered to deliver the summons to you all but I gladly volunteered to do it myself."

"Wait, you volunteered for message delivery?" Sokka cocked an eyebrow. "Why? Wait a second, where's Mai?"

"Shopping," Zuko replied bluntly.

Sokka nodded his head in understanding as Aang stared blankly.

"What? Mai went shopping without me? That's so unfair! I knew I should have woken up earlier today!" a voice called from down the hallway.

Ty Lee, fresh from her morning bath walked out into the living room on her hands before nimbly falling forward onto her feet and back up into a standing position, straightening out her ponytail. Her ample breasts bounced from the motion, taking Sokka's eyes for a ride. This earned him an elbow in the side from a very tight-lipped Suki.

"Shopping or anything else will have to wait for all of you," Zuko replied evenly. "I'm not sure what this is about but I can only guess that it is urgent. One of you should grab and escort Toph. The message was to bring everyone to the royal palace."

"What about Mai?" Ty Lee asked, smoothing out her red and pink traveling attire that left her middrift showing. "You know she doesn't like to be left behind. Remember what happened when you left the Fire Nation without her."

Zuko coughed once, trying not to remember that painful little episode. "One does not interrupt Mai's shopping time. I'll fill her in after the fact. At any rate, let's head out. It would best to not keep the council waiting."

"I'll get Toph, Katara volunteered, walking out to retrieve their little friend.

"Alright! Let's go!" Aang jumped up from the table, more than a little eager to do something else other than earthbend half the city back together for the eight day in a row. Helping to herd his companions out the door, excitement cascaded through his body as he wondered what type of meeting they were getting ready to attend. He hoped it was for a mission, he absolutely loved missions.

Eagerly he led Team Avatar and Company jovially down the streets of Ba Sing Se, his young heart as light as the air he so often bended.


	2. Chapter 2: The Bonds We Share

Chapter 2: The Bonds We Share

Katara very much enjoyed the walk to the Royal Palace. It wasn't often people were invited to visit the seat of power representing the entire Earth Kingdom. To say that the second trip was a vast improvement over the first was the understatement of the century. Instead of trying to stop them like last time, the Royal Palace attendants stood at attention as the group proceeded through the decadent and highly defended Southern Gate, officially into the inner boundaries of the place where few Earth Kingdom citizens were ever allowed to go.

This time around she Katara was able to take in the sheer scope and beauty of the palace a far more leisurely pace. She admired the strength of the guard towers they had bypassed the last time in their frenzied bid to reach the Earth King. As the group proceeded inward and the Outer Court buildings loomed into view, she could not help but give a gasp as the sheer size and beauty of the architecture that befell her wide blue eyes.

She may have been a citizen of the small Southern Water Tribe, but since meeting Aang she'd seen the home of all four elements and the temples and palaces dedicated to them. She'd seen the beautiful and pristine ice city of the Northern Water Tribe, the ancient and historically significant temples belonging to the Air Monks, as well as the powerful and oppressive Fire Nation palace. As impressive as all those capitals had been, none came close to touching the majestic beauty of the Earth King's seat of power.

She was thankful to see that the damage done to the structure during their first exciting visit as well as at the hands of the Fire Nation had been swiftly and expertly repaired. The super structure belonging to the Outer Court looked as amazing as ever with perfectly crafted red brick complimenting green designs signifying the eternal dignity of the Earth Kingdom. The rooftop embroidered with gold made it look as if the entire palace was shining radiantly with divine splendor.

_If only Gran Gran and the others could see this! _

Her memories shifted to home and it took her aback as she realized how little she'd thought of home since the last weeks of the war. There had always been something else to focus or do and it seemed like a century since she'd last seen her village and the people she loved. What distressed her most was the realization that she wasn't really homesick. She'd never left the tribe before meeting Aang. One of the things she was most thankful for was meeting him. He'd helped to show her much of rest of the world during their travels.

_What should I do now that the war is over? Be responsible and go home? Continue to travel the world? What about me and Aang? What will become of us?_

Aang made some comment about a change in the palace since last time they had visited, snapping Katara out of her reverie. Bringing up the rear of the group with Zuko, she shook her head, pushing the thoughts to the back of her head for the moment. It wouldn't do to go meet this Council of Ten and not be mentally on top of her game. There would be time enough for such thoughts later.

As they walked, the Outer Court stretched on almost as far as the eye could could almost understand how the Earth King had been content to spend so many of his years in the expansive palace without once desiring to venture outside its walls. It was like a micro paradise free from responsibility and duty. As nice as it sounded, the idea was utterly ludicrous. For such a condition to exist inside the absolute center of the Earth Kingdom government was the height of irresponsibility and had clearly helped to weaken the king's ability to effectively handle a crisis, as had been the case during the Dai Li coup.

Perhaps, she mused, that wasn't the situation any longer. Far across expansive courtyard she saw the king's Main Hall, a building far smaller than the Outer Court but far more culturally important and, if possible, exquisitely designed. As impressive as it was though, the building seemed a bit dimmer than last time, as if much of the luster was gone. With King Kuei still missing the entire palace seemed to be missing its soul. The only people she saw were the Ryogal Earthbending Guards the elite warriors with green plumes sprouting from their helmets. As she watched, they patrolled the perimeter or stood watch outside the hall. No doubt they waited patiently for their charge to return from abroad, all the while protecting the palace and the royal family.

Zuko stared wide-eyed as they walked past several large buildings within the large court building. Clearly he shared Katara's thoughts that not even the Fire Nation Palace compared to this grand spectacle.

"First time here?" she asked.

"Well, Uncle Iroh and I were invited here to serve tea once but I never saw…" he gestured, at a loss for words, "this. We spent most of our time waiting in a little side room before Azula and the Dai Li ambushed us." He craned his neck to look up toward the massive ceiling. "The firebender in me wants to say this is far too much wasted space."

Katara chuckled. "If we are going by that logic, you could really argue Ba Sing Se is a small country and not a city."

"Well they have more land to work with, I suppose," Zuko remarked. "You saw the Fire Nation. It's a cluster of large and small islands. The Earth Kingdom is easily five times the size of our country."

A palace official, a young man perhaps in his early to mid-twenties met them halfway through their walk through the court. Approaching them, he bowed low with dignified grace, until the green robes designating him as a page touched the ground. "On behalf of his majesty, the palace officials, and the Council of fiv- er, ten, let me welcome you! We are most thankful to see all of you come on such short notice. If you will please follow me, the council is eagerly awaiting your arrival."

The page led them into one of the large buildings designated as a meeting or war room. Upon inspection, Katara noticed that it was virtually empty save for a large square table in the middle of the room with a map of the world on it. Seated around it were the familiar faces of the Order of the White Lotus as well as five stern faced earthbending generals who ran the Council of Five, second in power only to the king himself. The temporary union between the two groups as they managed the city's affairs was a powerful sight to behold.

As the group entered the large meeting room, Iroh waved them over, flashing his usual disarming smile. "Avatar, Fire Lord, honored friends! Welcome! We thank you for coming to meet with us on short notice. Please join us!" He motioned them to join them around the world map.

A shadow passed over Zuko's face at the mention of his title coming from Iroh's mouth, but he inclined his head respectfully.

General How, the bearded and powerfully built warrior leader of the original council of five spoke first on behalf of the other generals as matter of formality. "While we are not eager to see the leader of the Fire Nation in this sacred palace, we welcome you all as well." He gave his full attention to Aang and inclined his head. "Honored Avatar, I know the Earth Nation Army and your group has not always seen eye-to-eye on all matters of importance, such as the incident with general Fong, but we would very much like to make amends and forge a new bond of friendship."

Newly promoted to the council after his predecessor had been killed during the occupation, Fong bowed so low that his beard touched the ground. "I assure you, my attempt to force out your Avatar State was not in order to cause you or your friends harm. I am sorry for any duress I caused through my actions. For what it's worth, you have my thanks for defeating Ozai and avenging my people."

"Well, I didn't do it for revenge, but I'm very glad your people are free," Aang replied. "I was just doing my duty."

Katara smiled softly at his modest tactic to deflect further praise onto himself.

How motioned around the council. "The five additional members to our council need no introduction I'm told." He gestured to the other Earth Nation generals. "You remember general Sung from the Fire Nation drill incident. The other two members of our order are generals Chang and Leiwi."

The two men bowed low, necessitating a bow by everyone in Team Avatar as well. Sokka putting his hand on Toph's head and bowing her head for her.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, we should get right to it," Juang Juang, the former Fire Nation admiral turned exile, motioned to the map. "If you please, soldier."

One of the earthbending attendants began to bend with an outward snap of his palm in midair, followed by a few circular movements of his arm. The map transformed, shifting the carefully arranged tiles to form a replica of Ba Sing Se. Aand and his friends gathered around as How took up a stick and began gesturing to the city.

"Reconstruction efforts are proceeding ahead of schedule, thanks to you all," he began, gesturing to Aang and Toph. "The damage was extensive, but with two earthebenders as skilled as you giving the people hope, we should have the city fully restored in a matter of weeks."

"Well, Toph did a lot of the work," Sokka replied, putting his hand on the small girl's shoulder.

"Sokka please," Toph said quickly, as if to stop further praise. There was a pause and she put her hands on her hips, smiling widely. "It was more like _most_ of the work!"

How cleared his throat to avoid any further derailing of his briefing. "We've encountered a serious problem to the restoration of our city and the continued harmony of our citizens. Reports have just arrived this morning that the Dai Li are again plotting to retake the city."

There was a universal look of surprise on all their faces.

"Zuko and I saw a number of Dai Li leaving the Fire Nation when we went to challenge Azula," Katara commented. "But they shouldn't have been able to get all the way back here so soon, even if the trip was made by boat."

"Oh, we left a large number of them here in the city," Ty Lee chimed in, eager to contribute to the conversation. "After swearing loyal to Azula, they became part of her plan. She used them to assist in the occupation."

"Long standing traitors!" King Bummi spat, slapping his knee. "Let's not forget that their treachery began long before the Fire Nation came! It's time we clipped their wings for good!"

"Absolutely right," How nodded. "Unfortunately they are making that practically impossible. The traitors are trying to rally up sympathy from the people and refugees, particularly in the Lower Ring. Their bid to regain control has shifted to political tactics and mud smearing, since they lack the sheer numbers or the backing of the Fire Nation needed for direct action."

Sokka rubbed his chin in thought. "But the fact that the Dai Li added in the Fire Nation occupation within plain sight of the people should leave them without a leg to stand on."

"You would think so," general Chang said, stroking one of his long whiskers. "Common sense would suggest as much. However, we believe Long Feng has regained control of the organization and is personally spinning quite a successful misinformation campaign. He claims the Dai Li who aided the Fire Nation were really army soldier turncoats. He would have the common people believe that these "traitor soldiers" impersonated and imprisoned the Dai Li in order to gain status and privilege with the Fire Nation."

"But that isn't the worst of it, I'm afraid," How sighed. "His most distressing claim is that our council is trying to take away the Earth King's throne. With the king gone, we are at an extreme disadvantage and not in a position to completely disprove this lie. The military knows the truth, but so long as even a small part of the population believes Long Feng's terrible lies, we have a potential riot on our hands. We cannot allow him to solidify his powerbase and take control of Ba Sing Se again!"

He made a fist and pounded it down onto the table, crushing one of the buildings as his passion got the better of him. An apologetic grimace flashed across his face as the attentive soldier who had shifted the map performed a quick hand movement to restore it.

Zuko stroked his chin. "Why not bring the military in? Search the city and root them out."

"That would only cause panic and disorder," Bummi replied. "This city has endured enough chaos to last three lifetimes! Alerting the army would only cause the enemy to go further into hiding and alarm the general population. This is a very volatile time and the people need time to rest and recover from the occupation. Causing wide scale panic might lead to riots and play right into Long Fang's plans."

"What about the caves under the city?" Toph asked. "They had a base down there before. They could be using the tunnels to hide in again."

"That was the first thing we checked," general Fong grumbled. "I still have men searching through the lower tunnels but nothing has been found. I don't think the Dai Li would be stupid enough to use the same hiding spot twice."

Now that the conversation and exhausted talk on what could not be done, the natural conclusion was to focus on what could be done. Stepping forward, the Fire Lord leaned on the small wall surrounding the map and looked at the council members.

"What can do we do to help you?" he asked.

The council members looked at each for a moment before nodding. Clearing his throat, Master Pakku leaned forward and folded his hands in front of him. "For the moment, nothing."

Zuko and the others look at one another in absolute confusion. The shock on their face clearly showed they hadn't expected this answer. Aang seemed particularly shocked and his posture that just been brimming with energy suddenly deflated. No doubt he'd expected to have been asked to speed into action right away. Toph made an unpleasant sound of irritation and folded her arms, leaning back against the wall.

"Nothing? Then why summon us at all?" Sokka protested, more than a little perturbed.

"Sokka," sword master Piandao said evenly, mollifying the youth with a steady gaze. "A man caught walking unwittingly down a dark alley with his sword sheathed is a fool. A man who walks down a dark alley on purpose with a hand on the hilt is prepared. Reflect on this."

The young swords man closed his eyes for a moment as the wheels in his head turned. "A man who walks down an alley at night without being prepared is asking to be attacked. Whereas…" he thought for a moment more, "the man who walks down the alley with a hand on the sheathed blade is hoping for it!"

"We are to be bait?" Suki asked, making eye contact with Sokka as she came to the same conclusion. "You want to draw this Long Fang character out into the open?"

Iroh laughed, clapping his hands. "Pretty much! The Dali Li has yet to reveal itself since the occupation and while we have taken extra precautions, I do not think they are after us. At least not yet."

"We will not be separated and taken advantage of unawares for a second time," Chang vowed. "But our thinking is that the Dai Li will move against the biggest threat first, and the greatest obstacles to Long Feng's plans are the kids who foiled him the last time."

"He will want revenge for the suffering you all put him through last time," How warned. "Furthermore, unless the Avatar is taken out, Long Fang cannot hope to wage a hidden war against us at all."

He leaned forward, looking at them intensely. What we would like is for you all to do nothing as of yet. Go about your daily tasks. Split up into pairs more often. Give a reason for the Dai Li to show their hand. He may not be sure if you can be defeated, but in small groups he will be hard pressed to resist trying."

"However they won't come if they know you are expecting them," Pakku said, pointing in particular as Sokka. "You must learn to mask your intentions and above all else, act natural! When they make a move or if you discover anything out agents missed, contact us and we'll bring all of the city's resources to bear against them. Will you help us?"

Team Avatar stood on the threshold of another adventure. Aang had been ready to throw in his support from the start but he hesitated to answer immediately and instead turned to his friends to get a feel for what they wanted. Looking from left to right, they all gave him smiles or nods to show they were onboard. Sensing but not seeing what was going on, Toph gave a thumbs up.

"We finish what we start," she said with a smug smile. "Always."

Beaming with affection and pride, Aang turned back around and bowed to the gathered men. "You can count on us."

"Then it's settled," Iroh said. "Best of luck to us all then."

Tea was promptly served out and everyone drank to the success of the mission.

By the time everyone had exited the palace the sun was high up in the afternoon sky.

"Man, that was a great party." Sokka said stretching, his voice perhaps a tad too loud. He looked around at the blank looks given. "Right guys?!"

Catching his wink, the comment necessitated a chorus of agreements from the others for the sake of the plan.

Looking down below to the Lower Ring of the city from the palace ground's elevated position, Aang took a moment to watch the coming and goings of the people at the massive open market. He smiled at the masses and vowed to keep the current danger posed to the city away from their hearts and minds. If possible he would do anything possible to keep the situation and the public disturbances it could cause to a minimum. In his mind, the fewer people who needed to be involved, the better.

Looking at Katara, Aang had a sudden thought. During the war his time alone with Katara had basically been nil. If things were about to heat up again then he had to take advantage of any and all down time, just in case. Abruptly, he grabbed her hand and pulled her off toward the nearby train station. While surprised, the waterbender allowed herself to be lead away by the suddenly assertive young monk with only a token level of protest.

"Where are you two going?" Sokka called out.

"On a date," Aang looked back, winking. He smiled and shrugged, as if to say "well they told us to separate to make for more tempting targets, right?". Sokka was immediately impressed with his young friend's ability to turn the situation to his favor and smiled, folding his arms and nodding as Aang turned around and led his sister off.

"I'll go look for Mai and fill her in," Zuko said, wandering off with a wave of his hand. "I hope she's not gone overboard while I've been gone. It would be a problem if she spent most of the money we came here with on a new wardrobe."

Ty Lee grinned broadly. "Well, if we are all going to go do our thing for a while then I am declaring a girl's day out!" She hooked her arm around Suki and started to pull the girl away, despite her protests.

Glancing back, she winked at Sokka. "Don't worry; I'll have her back home at a reasonable hour!"

Suddenly it was just Sokka and Toph standing in the middle of the street. Sokka squared his shoulders and tried to think of what to do next. "Well, I guess we can hang out for a bit Toph."

"Gee. Awfully generous of you considering there are only two of us left."

He coughed. "At any rate, let's get some lunch. My treat."

Toph punched him hard in the shoulder to show her thanks and the two of them started to make their way to the Lower Ring where the restaurant boulevard was situated.

* * *

Suki wasn't opposed to spending time with Ly Lee. Quite the opposite was true, in fact. While they'd spent most of their relationship as enemies, the last few weeks had really helped to change that. When they had fought against each other in the past, Suki had developed a begrudging respect for the girl who was her either her equal in hand-to-hand combat. Now after sparring with each other each morning, she felt confident that the two of them had become good friends.

Eventually they would return to Kiyoshi Island and Suki would have to become the girl's commander first and friend second. As such, it was best to take advantage of the relaxed atmosphere for as long as possible. Being able to behave as a normal girl was a luxury not generally afforded to the to the head warrior of a small island community.

With that knowledge in mind, Ski allowed Ty Lee to link arms and pull her off towards the stores, chatting her head of all the while about what stores she liked and what sales were going on. The two entered a dress shop, and Suki stared at all the material in fascination. Back home the village had only handful of seamstresses and none of them seemed on par with the level of detail afforded to these dresses.

The middle aged female running it bowed in welcome. "Good afternoon! If I may be of service don't hesitate to ask!"

"Let's find you something cute!" Ty Lee said as the two girls examined the selection of dresses patterned after almost every color of the rainbow.

"I'm not usually one for dresses," she confessed as Ty Lee brought a red dress up and held it up to the warrior girl, inspecting the length and fit with a well trained eye. Pulling her in front of a wall mirror, Suki gently shrugged off Ty Lee's hand and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Why red?" she asked.

"You looked great in red during the prison break, even if it was only a prison uniform." Ty Lee shrugged. "I think it looks cute on you. Green too, but you get enough of that color from your Kiyoshi uniform."

Noticing a pretty number hanging on the wall nearby, Ty Lee bounded away.

Minutes past and the Kiyoshi warrior watched in amazement as the spunky gymnast danced around the shop, moving from outfit to outfit, trying on a number of them. Astonishingly still, the girl decided to buy half of them, including matching hair bands for her long braid. Judging by the fat coin purse she carried, Ty Lee could probably have bought the store if she'd a mind to.

Suki discreetly put the red dress back without Ty Lee noticing. The former circus performer was far too preoccupied with her purchases and seemed to have forgotten they'd originally gone in there Suki's benefit. This suited her just fine. She did not have a lot of coin on her and the shop was well above her price range. Even if she had bought it, there was little need for such a formal and exquisite dress back home in her village.

With her purchases complete, they left the shop. Ty Lee hoisted the two large bags full of clothing onto her arms to free up her hands

"Oooh! Come with me! I know where we gotta go!" Ty Lee's energetic expression shifted toward the realm of mischievous and that worried the island girl for some strange reason. The two weaved through the busy mid-day shopping crowds and went a block or two off the beaten path to a small clothing store that had female forms shaped out of stone posing in the front window. This was not particularly odd. Many shops in the city used such a hook to bring in customers. Where this store differed was that the outfits being displayed lacked much in the way of actual clothing material.

"How did you even know as store like this existed?!" Suki snapped, covering her embarrassment as she pushed inside by her overeager friend.

Rather than answer, Ty Lee shoved her friend into a changing room located at the back of the store and joined her a minute later with an arm load of outfits that, if put together, might have made a complete outfit. Suki started to back into the corner and protest but her friend simply beamed, blocking the exit.

"Try these on!"

"But you're in here."

"We're both girls. You don't have anything that I don't. Don't try to fool me. I know the girls of your village bathe together all the time. With nothing to do in prison but talk, the girls told me all about Kiyoshi Island." She fixed Suki with a knowing smile. "I think you're just trying to escape. Hurry and try one of those on. I think you'll look great!"

With a blush tinting her cheeks, Suki stripped down to her body wrappings that often substituted for undergarments and took the first outfit offered, swallowing her pride as she tried it on. Putting on the red top, she discovered the material barely came halfway down her torso and the low cut around the neck exposed a generous amount of cleavage. Sliding the matching pair of bottoms up her long, toned legs, she discovered to her absolute horror that they barely covered her hips and left her butt completely exposed save for a red strip of cloth resting between her cheeks. Ashamed to look at herself in the mirror, she turned to Ty Lee, feeling the sudden urge to cover herself with her arms.

"So… ah…?"

"Well, well, well! Don't you have the sexy figure," Ty Lee commented, trying to inflate her friend's ego and stop being so timid. "Normally you aren't supposed to wear anything underneath but still, it looks great on you!"

"You mean girls in this city actually go around wearing this kind of thing in public?" she asked, mortified.

"In public?" Ty Lee started to laugh, clutching her sides. "No! Of course not! Girls wear it in private to increase the mood."

"I appreciate your input but I don't think this kind of outfit is for me." Suki quickly took the outfit off and changed back into her normal green shirt and leggings, breathing a sigh of relief. Putting her boots back on, she turned to Ty Lee as a question popped into her head.

"What was all that talk about mood?"

Ty Lee blinked. "You know _the_ mood! When you want to impress your man and you two are all alone? The magical happy happy love time?!"

Suki's blank look spurred Ty Lee into action. Dropping the outfits onto the floor of the changing room she grabbed the girls arm and started to move quickly out of store as the owner looked at the two of them in confusion.

"Where are we going now Ty?"

"To the nearest tea shop!" her comrade declared. "You and I need to have some serious girl talk!"

* * *

Pushing the empty bowl that had previously contained noodles, Toph grinned cat-like and rubbed at her full belly. "Thanks for the grub!" She punched Sokka in the arm again.

"I've never seen anyone eat as much as you do," he remarked, rubbing his arm and pulling out some coin to pay for the meal.

"Hey! I'm a growing girl!" she shot back. "Besides, earthbending really burns the carbs right off."

"Well not all of us have that kind of luxurious workout plan. So for my sake, let's go take a walk and kill some time before we head home."

"We aren't going to find any 'you know whos' in the crowded park. You know that right?" Toph said, standing up away from the bench and dusting off the front of her green earthbending outfit.

"Of course I do. Can't a guy just enjoy hanging out with a beautiful girl?"

Toph felt a blush start to rise to her cheeks and she turned around to reach for the door as he left the coin on the table and signaled to the waiter. "Don't let Suki hear you say that," she whispered, trying to regain control of her emotions, confused as to the mysterious pike of emotion that rose up in conjunction with his comment.

Stepping out into the city, she put a hand to her heart and felt it skip a beat. Oblivious to this, Sokka took her hand and led her to one of the city's parks so as to not become separated in the crowd of people. The one in the Lower Ring's districts was a large flower garden filled with benches and fountains. As they entered, Sokka found himself moving against the flow. Most of the park's occupants were on their way out to prepare for dinner back home or to beat the restaurant crowds to the dinner rush. Pretty soon the two of them had a good bit of the park to themselves.

Still holding her hand, Sokka moved further in. Taken aback by the size and beauty of the field of red and white flowers, he smiled and gestured broadly. "I've never seen anything like this before. Don't those flowers look fantastic?!"

"Not really. Everything looks dark to me." Toph pointed to her eyes.

"Oh… right." Embarrassed, Sokka cleared his throat and tapered off into silence.

"But it smells nice!" she responded quickly, not wanting to ruin the mood.

Bending with her feet, Toph got a sense for the park and the outline of what must have been the flowers he was talking about. But more than anything else, she was keenly aware that they were still holding hands. His large hand, rough from long exposure to the elements and sword training, felt powerful and protective. The touch of his skin against hers sent a tingle up her spine that she did not entirely understand.

She'd started her periods not long before meeting Sokka and the others and her attendant had explained that her body was going through changes that would result in her blossoming into a woman. Unfortunately, she had not gone into great detail on what this blossoming would entail before Toph had agreed to take to the road with her new found friends.

In addition to getting to know her new friends and trying to survive all manner of dangers bent on taking her life, the unfortunate girl had started having confusing thoughts lately. At home she could see how the couples reacted when in love. With her secret mastery of seeing through bending, she'd caught more than one house guard in the process sneaking off at night to share a romantic confession with one of the local village girls. She hadn't understood why before, but now the first sparks of knowledge was working its way into her heart and mind.

It had all started during the final battle with the Fire Nation. Sokka had saved her life at the cost of his prized black space sword and a broken leg. Even wounded, he'd shielded her from harm as the air ship had started to break apart around them. He had saved her life during a situation where her bending hadn't allowed her to react quickly enough. All she'd been able to do was cling to him for dear life. It was at that precise moment during all the chaos that she'd started to feel something new.

Since then, whenever she was around Sokka it made her feel strange. Her heart started beating fast, as if it would pound right out of her chest. She found herself wanting to be around him more than she had before. He wasn't just "Meathead" or "Captain Boomerang" anymore. She'd started to appreciate him as someone other than the comedic fall guy.

Now she found herself occasionally using earthbending to get a better feel for the guy she would never actually see, feeling his outline and the shape of his physique far more intimately than eyes ever could. It made her happy and scared to feel these strange and conflicting emotions.

Still, there was the fact that he and Suki clearly had a thing going. While she didn't know what to think of him or why he was the only one she felt this way about, common sense told her that she needed to keep quiet and tread a fine line.

Standing there and just enjoying his touch, she vowed to give it some more thought later.

Realizing that he was still holding her hand, Sokka let go with an apology. Toph shook her head and touched one hand with the other, still feeling his warmth from the contact. She lowered her head as another cursed blush appeared on her cheeks, frustrating her.

She looked up suddenly. "I never did thank you for saving me on that airship, did I?"

"Your safety was thanks enough," he assured her. She could tell through the sound of his voice that he was smiling.

"I mean it," she said insistently, grabbing his arm. "You got injured because of me. I want you to know how much I appreciated what you did."

He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze as butterflies flew around in her stomach. "You're welcome. We're friends right? Friends help each other. I'm sure you would have done the same for me."

The young girl slowly nodded her head. "Right. Friends." She gave a large, forced, nonchalant grin. "Of course we are!"

As the sun started to slowly begin its downward decent towards the horizon Toph further endured a torrent of confusing thoughts as her friend continued to obviously admire the scenery.

* * *

The conversation had not been what she'd been expecting them to have, Suki decided. Shopping had been a no-brainer but her idea of a "girls' day out" would have been to have a good lunch and discuss things while getting to know each other better. After all, what better way was there to really learn more about the chi blocking techniques Ty Lee was so good at? Eager to learn, Suki's plan had been to get Ty Lee to open up more so as to better understand her newest subordinate and perhaps steer the conversation towards combat, of which she was intimately familiar with and comfortable discussing.

Needless-to-say, the conversation had gone anywhere but there and Suki found herself listening to the most descriptive and embarrassing reasons for wearing an outfit that she'd ever heard.

"And that's why girls wear those kinds of outfits for their boyfriends. It sets the mood so they can do it," Ty Lee finished her somewhat cryptic explanation looking pleased with herself. Leaning back in the wooden chair, she took a sip of tea.

"It?" Suki slouched in her chair, almost afraid to inquire.

Ty Lee almost looked exasperated. "You know! Sex! Don't tell me you haven't had a boyfriend or someone special that you done _it_ with?"

Suki finally put all the pieces into place and the fire on her cheeks could have burnt down a forest. She looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before replying. She felt more than a little relieved that they'd picked a small table at the edge of the barely half-occupied tea shop.

She leaned in close, lowering her voice, unable to meet the other girl's gaze directly. "Well, I mean, I dated a few guys back on the island but I never…"

"What about with your blue-eyed dream boat?"

"Wha-? Sokka? I mean we've spent time together and cuddled but never…" she fidgeted with her cup.

Part of her felt ridiculous for being so embarrassed and vulnerable. In her mind it was certainly no way for the leader of the Kiyoshi warriors to behave. Showing such weakness in front of a subordinate was unthinkable. Using this frustration to get a grip, she had almost regained her composure when Ty Lee dropped the second great bombshell of the night.

"What are you waiting for girl?! You're fifteen! This is when we girls start to think about marriage! If you are serious about the guy then you should take the relationship more seriously. After all, you don't want another girl coming along and stealing him away, right?"

Suki looked stricken for a moment then she regained control of her features. "Sokka wouldn't do that."

"Probably not," Ty Lee conceded. "But you shouldn't let him get too far away. Boys can be pretty unpredictable. I think he's super dreamy, and while I won't touch a taken guy, you can bet your life some other girl wouldn't think twice. If you like him and think that he's really the one, show him. It would mean a lot to know you care that much."

Suki pondered the words of the clearly more experienced girl. She couldn't help but be vaguely curious as to just how personally experienced Ty Lee was when it came to men. "But, what if he rejects me?"

"He won't," she said, waving her nervous friend's concerns off. "The guy's crazy about you."

Nodding her head decidedly, Suki abruptly stood up from the table.

"Where you going?" Ty Lee asked, signaling the shop owner for a refill of her green tea.

"I'm going back to get that outfit." Flushed, she strode out of the coffee shop with a purpose.

"Go get him girl!" Grinning, Ty Lee saluted the girl's back with her empty cup.

* * *

That night after everyone had gone to bed, Suki rose from her bed, staring at the new sexy red outfit from where it hung in her closet as if it were an enemy to overcome. It was nearly midnight. She'd purposely waited that long to ensure everyone else would be asleep. She absolutely did not want to be caught walking down the hall to Sokka's wearing such skimpy material.

Stripping naked as Ty Lee had suggested, she put the outfit on and admired herself, trying to strike a sexy pose in front of the mirror as the moonlight bathed the vast expanse of exposed skin.

She flushed. "I look ridiculous. How do I know he'll like this?"

She ran a hand over her mostly naked rear as doubt continued to plague her. Sokka had never given any indication that he didn't find her toned body attractive. He was a healthy boy and she'd learned about what men liked in a woman year's ago back on the island by listening to the older women. They'd never mentioned wearing clothing like this but if it helped her to seal the deal then she was ready. Sokka had never been anything but an honorable and caring gentleman towards her. He deserved what she truly wanted to give: her body and soul.

Opening her door as quietly as possible she padded silently to Sokka's room. The notion to knock entered her frazzled mind, but was instantly dismissed. She absolutely did not want to risk waking anyone up. With care, she quietly tried the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. She quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

Bathed in shadows, she waited for her eyes to adjust before moving towards his bed near the window. She climbed onto the bed, studying him as he slept peacefully, occasionally uttering a soft snore. The Kiyoshi girl noticed as she moved up to bring her face above his, that he was clad only in his loin cloth. She wondered if all men slept this way while studying his face, smiling softly at how irresistibly cute he was.

A part of her mind continued to scream out with reservation. She could still back down and leave the room. If she woke him up it would be all but too late to leave with her maidenhood still intact. Did she really want that? Was it really the right time to deepen her relationship with the strong young water tribe warrior?

She nodded to herself, swallowing nervously. He'd fought and risked his life to save her, even after she'd humiliated him during their first meeting by offering to train him only if he wore a woman's attire while doing so. He deserved her, and now she would give herself to him.

"Sokka" she whispered, lowering her head toward his.

He snored once and turned his head, muttering something unintelligible in his sleep. Bringing her lips close to his ear, she whispered his name again, moving to straddle his hips. She felt her breasts covered in only the thin layer of material press against his naked chest. The blush that had started across the bridge of her nose spread to her entire face.

She was about to call his name again when other thoughts entered her head. Had she known Sokka long enough to really be ready for this? And furthermore, what about things that would come later? After the Dai Li was defeated, what would they do then? She'd once overheard him making plans to travel around the Earth Kingdom for a while and help with the rebuilding process. While admirable, surely he knew that her place was on Kiyoshi Island. If he cared so much for her, why hadn't he announced his intention to return home with her?

Plagued by doubt, her confidence in the justification of what she was doing crumbled.

As the moonlight seeped through the drawn curtain, he moaned softly, turning his face towards it, clearly having some sort of dream. Suki stopped trying to wake him up for a moment and simply studied him as he started to moan something in his sleep.

"Oh, Yue," he whispered. "Why?"

Eyes widening, Suki used every stealth skill she could think of to slowly move off of him and retreat to the safety of the floor. Accomplishing this, she quietly slipped back out the door and shut it. Her mind clouded with confusion and doubt as she retreated to the safety of her own room. She fell onto her bed, burying her face into the pillow, unsure of what to do or think.

Across the city in the secluded Agrarian Zone, conflict raged. Aang and Katara battled across the lake area as Dai Li agents swarmed them from all directions. The second battle for Ba Sing Se had begun.

Oblivious to both events that had transpired that evening, the blissful warrior slept on, locked in a beautiful but sad dream where he tried to reach the moon and his first true love, but continually and tragically fell short by mere inches with every outreach of his hand.


	3. Chapter 3: Moonlit Interlude

Chapter three: Moonlit Interlude

After leaving the others behind outside of the palace, Aang and Katara bought tickets for the Agrarian Zone and boarded the monorail. After the train conductor accepted their tickets, he moved to the front of the car and began to bend the train down the massive rail line that covered the various parts of the city. Spying a spot big enough for two on one of the side benches running the length of the car, the two made their way to the seats and looked out the window, taking in the beauty of the sprawling city below.

Even after as much time as they'd spent in the city, Ba Sing Se was still breathtaking beautiful. The vibrantly colored golden rooftops of the palace all the way down to the impoverished yet hopeful citizens and refugees of the Lower ring all conveyed a city as strong and beautiful as the rock and precious stone it was cut from.

That wasn't to say that the city was not without its fault. The rich rarely associated with the average citizens and so it could easily be said that the city produced two different kinds of realities and neither were entirely healthy segregated by class and status. Still, the city had served as bastion of resistance and strength against a relentless foe until near the end of the war. Looking down as the hundreds of thousands of people living out their lives in relative peace, Katara had no doubt the city would continue to prosper for centuries to come.

The train soon stopped at a station in the Middle Ring and the two turned back around, people watching as the various passengers exited and boarded the train. Laying her head on his shoulder, Katara smiled and reached for Aang's hand, still riding the emotional excitement created when he had so aggressively stolen her away for their date. With all that had happened concerning the council after she'd brought the date idea up, she had been prepared to write it off as being forgotten about. By not only remembering but taking charge and stealing her away made Katara feel wanted and cared for. This built a warm feeling in her heart and left her wanting some cuddle time on the way to their destination.

"It will be nice to visit Lake Laogai under better circumstances this time," Aang commented, enjoying Katara's body against his own. The last time they'd gone was not for rest and relaxation, but rather to hunt down and root out Long Feng the Dai Li. It was at the lake where the master manipulator had had finally been captured only to be later freed and used as Azula's pawn.

Katara nodded against his shoulder. She suddenly wished that she'd had the foresight to wear something different. She'd chosen her traditional water tribe outfit to represent her people in front of the council as a matter of pride. Now that they were on their way to enjoy the sunny spring day, she wished longingly for that nice sun dress she passed up while shopping a few days ago. The outfit would have been far cooler and left her legs bare enough to wade in the refreshingly cool water. In a public and highly visited lake, there was no way she could strip down to her white loincloth and under-wrapping. That would just make it look as if the Southern Water Tribe was nothing but backwards and tasteless.

She sighed. _Ah well. Too little, too late. I'll make do. I should probably get us some lunch though! We could have a picnic._

The train stopped again as a station in the Lower Ring and all but one or two other people departed. The conductor turned around to inform the remaining passengers that the Agrarian Zone was the end of the line before moving the train out from the station, its speed increased due to the reduced weight.

Aang turned his head to the side and saw the recently repaired great Outer Wall looming in the distance. He briefly reflected on the giant Fire Nation drill weapon they'd disabled. It felt a life a lifetime ago but had in reality been just a few months. So much had changed in that time Aang could scarcely believe it.

Spread out behind the protective titan of stone was the rich farmlands; the Breadbasket of Ba Sing Se he once heard it called. And off to the left, shimmering like a sapphire at the edge of the Eastern lands, was their final destination of the afternoon.

A scent caught Aang's nose and he lowered his face to Katara's soft brown hair, detecting a faint trace of scented shampoo. He smelled again, causing her to giggle. The sound was like a beautiful instrument to his ears. "You like the scent? I picked some up at the market the other day."

"You always smell wonderful."

She laughed again, squeezing his hand. "I'm not sure about always, but we Water Tribe girls do have a reputation to maintain! Even in the South Pole!"

Thinking about bathing in freezing temperatures was enough to make Aang shiver. Fortunately the train shuttered as it approached the last stop, pushing the thought from his mind. He felt reluctant to get up with Katara so close. As the doors opened and they stood up to go, he issued a sigh only to cut it off quickly with a smile as Katara reached for his hand again, none-too-eager to lose the physical connection with him either.

Leaving the station, they rounded a sign pointing toward the lake and began their walk. Aang turned down repeated offers from carriage driver's stationed on the side of the road who offered to take them to the lake for a fee. The station was a couple of miles away but he'd spent the better half of two weeks surrounded by buildings while repairing the city. A chance to walk amongst the fields of crops and connect with nature was really appealing.

Walking hand-in-hand, the two young lovers progressed down the central dirt path between two of the large farming fields. They waved to a middle-aged woman as she tended to a patch of watermelons. They saw traffic on the road ahead and moved to the side of the road to let a certain familiar man driving a cart full of cabbage pass by.

Seeing the two, his eyes widened with worry. "Oh no! No! Not again!" He picked up the pace to gain as much distance as possible, earning confused looks from the pair. Aang just shrugged and kept walking.

"Remind me to thank Long Feng after we kick his butt," Katara said, grinning. "If nothing else, this gives everyone a chance to be irresponsible and carefree for a while! It's nice to have a day off after having helped to save the world."

"Well, we did promise to make ourselves tempting targets," Aang reminded her. "But I seriously doubt we'll be attacked by an enemy in the very same place where we beat him the first time. Honestly I'm just glad for the break. My duty is to the people, but even I need some us time."

She chuckled with amusement. "Us time, eh?"

"It's like me time, only better." He grinned.

The stroll turned into a two mile walk. Just as Aang was feeling tempted to use his air buffalo whistle to call Appa from their house the clear blue lake came into view at last. A touch of commercialism had touched some brilliant mind in Ba Sing Se. Several wooden shops had sprung up since the last time they'd been there. From a distance, Aang made out at least one restaurant and several other shops strategically placed so as to not spoil the view of the lake but close enough to meet the needs of any vacationer without being inconveniently far to walk to.

The road cut right through the small cluster of buildings and upon closer inspection, Katara gave a little excited squeal and dashed ahead. One of the shops had summer apparel and she disappeared inside. Aang followed her in, frowning at how dark everything looked after having spent the last hour under direct sunlight.

"What is a clothing store doing all the way out here?" he inquired, looking around.

Nearly beside herself with joy, Katara turned around. "Aang, why don't you get us some watermelon from the little food standing next door? I'll be out in a few minutes!"

The airbender was not the shopping type and as such, offered little in the way of complaint. "Sure thing. I'll wait for you outside."

Free to parooze at her leisure, the young bender looking through several wooden display containers full of bright colored outfits. Not seeing a sundress or any other kind of dress for that matter, she frowned and walked up to the counter where the the young woman who was attending the store sat, giving Katara her full attention.

"Excuse me," she said, holding up one of the articles of clothing, "can you please tell me what these are?"

The girl's freckled face broke into an easy smile. "Oh! That is the latest thing from the city!" she exclaimed. "They're called swim suits. Apparently the Fire Nation created them a while back. What do you think?"

Katara inspected the material with a critical eye. "It's very colorful… and…" she made a face, "revealing."

Before she could put the swimsuit down the girl came around the counter to talk to her customer directly. "It's made for girls who want to get a tan in public and still maintain some modesty," she explained. "But uh, I guess getting a tan isn't really on your list of things to do. Water Tribe?"

"Yeah."

"Here with your boyfriend? The monk-looking dude who came in here with you?"

"Yeah, he's the Avatar."

The girl's smile grew larger as a mischievous glint hit her eye. "How'd you like to knock the elements right out of him? I've got a new swimsuit in today that will look great on you! They're made for swimming too, hence the name. Sexy and practical! Would you like to try one on real quick? I have a small changing room in the back."

Katara shrugged, tossing back her misgivings. "Sure, I guess."

Taking the offered bathing suit, she allowed herself to be directed to the back of the store. Entering the changing booth she closed the curtain for some privacy and took off her clothes and under wrappings, folding them neatly on a chair placed in the corner. Taking a deep breath, she studied the dark blue outfit and saw it came in two parts. Sliding the bottoms up her legs, she grabbed the top and figured out how to fasten it around her back. She looked at herself in the mirror, blushing at the cleavage created as the material pushed her breasts up together. Opened the curtain to get an experienced opinion, she stepped timidly out of the changing room.

"How do I look?" she bit her lip to contain her embarrassment, putting her hands behind her back. "It doesn't seem to want to completely cover my butt."

The shop worker gave her an appreciative look over. "Hey, showing a little bit of skin at the lake isn't a bad thing. All the girls are doing it!" She clapped her hands. "And besides, you look great! I knew I had your color pegged. Blue looks fantastic on you. Your boyfriend's eyes are going to come straight out of his head!"

Katara used her thumbs to pull the material down to cover as much of her butt as possible. "How much is it?"

"Four silver pieces." Seeing Katara's hesitation she gestured with her hands. "New invention and high demand equals high price. But I guarantee he'll love it! It will be a great investment for your little vacation out here at Lake Laogai."

"What the heck, let's do it," she shrugged with a grin. "Could I get a separate bag for my other clothes?"

"You sure can. Oh and uh," the shop worker leaned in close and brought up one hand to her mouth as if sharing a secret, "you guys should stay until sun down. At night in the spring the firefly moths come out to find mates and light up the sky. It's really pretty. Have a great day and thank you very much for your business!"

Parting with four silver coins and offering her thanks, Katara took the bag containing the clothes she'd come in and took another deep breath, opening the door to the shop and looking around. Aang was looking at the lake and had his back to her. He was carrying a juicy looking watermelon under one arm.

_Ok girl. You can do this! _"Aang," she called over. "What do you think?"

The bald youth turned around at the sound of her voice. "Katara, I found us a perfec-" he paused in midsentence as his eyes got as big as dinner plates when he took in the sight before him. Katara was clad in some kind of blue outfit of the likes he'd never seen before. The bottoms covered her hips but left her long legs bare and the snug top only covered her chest. His heart started to pound and he had to check to make sure he wasn't drooling.

"It looks bad?" she asked uncertainly.

"No!" he almost shouted, standing ramrod straight. "You look beautiful!"

Relieved she walked over to him and picked up the watermelon that had fallen to the ground. She used her hand to wipe the dirt off. "The store girl called it a bathing suit. Apparently it's made for swimming."

Aang counted himself very lucky for the chance to spend the entire afternoon with her clad in this bathing suit. To him, Katara was naturally beautiful. The sweet and sexy looking outfit only added to her considerable charm.

"What were you saying before?" she asked.

"Oh, uh," he cleared his throat. "I found a perfect spot by the edge of the lake. Doesn't seem to be many people around."

"Let's go then!"

As she strode forward towards the lake Aang couldn't help but notice with his wandering eyes that the bathing suit exposed a generous view of butt cheek as she walked. Enamored, he let her lead the way with a goofy smile plastered to his face.

Walking over to a slightly more secluded part of the lake, Aang stripped down to his shorts and added his clothes to the bag containing her clothes. Dipping their legs into the cool blue water, they made a meal of the watermelon, inventing a contest to see who could spit the seeds the farthest.

Full and content, Karata then waded into the water and spun gracefully in a circle, bending the water into a wave just large enough to soak Aang from his place on the shore. Wading in after her, they began a splashing war that soaked them completely. This led to a waterbending contest to see who could knock the other the farthest across the lake. They unknowingly sprayed a group of sun bathers in the midst of their antics. Perturbed, the older couple packed up and moved to another part of the lake, increasing the distance Katara and Aang had from the rest of the lakeside visitors.

Somehow the playful water antic led to them embracing. Putting his arms around her waist, he admired, not for the first time, the contrast of her light brown color against his pale skin. A light blush touched their cheeks as he hugged her closer, feeling her small proud breasts press against his bare chest. Looking into her piercing blue eyes, he was caught off guard when she put her slender hands on his shoulders and pushed. Flailing, he ended up on his back in the water as she stood over him laughing.

Laughing he started to bend with his hand. "Two can play at that game!"

He created a stream of water to wrap around her waist and pull her down. She fell into his arms giggling as his held her close. Looking at one another, they kissed in the water as he used one hand to move her wet bangs away from her face.

"Katara…" he breathed.

Breathing heavily with eyes half closed, she kissed him again, more passionately this time. He blinked as he felt something press against his lips and he recoiled a bit when he realized it was her tongue.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized quickly, noticing his reaction. "I wasn't thinking. I just…" She sat up as the water lapped at her waist. "Ty Lee said all couples did it and I thought…"

"No no no," Aang said, waving his hands emphatically. "It's ok! I was just surprised!"

The mood effectively killed, Katara salvaged the situation with a small smile and thumbed over her shoulder towards the beach. "I'm gonna lay in the sun for a bit and take a nap."

Aang nodded. When she turned around to wade back to shore he frowned and hit himself in the head. He wallowed in frustration for a little while, floating in the cool water and starting up at the bright sky. As with all kids, his mood rapidly shot back to normal and he joined her on the beach, finding a nice patch of soft grass to sprawl out on. He napped throughout the late afternoon as the sun dried his skin.

A light breeze trailed across his face, waking him up as the sun was starting its slow descent, illuminating the sky in red. He looked over and saw Katara was awake as well. Looking over at him, she offered him a sandwich she'd bought from another one of the vendor shops.

"The sun will set soon. Should we head out soon?" He took the offered sandwich and took a healthy bite.

She shook her head. "The store lady said the view here at night is gorgeous and I'd like to see it. I think everyone will survive without me there to cook for one evening. Do you mind staying?"

Aang watched as many of the other couples started to pack up their stuff and leave. Polishing off the food, he shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't matter to me."

They made small talk as the sun slowly completed its descent. When at last the day surrendered to darkness, the stars appeared overhead, cascading across the sky as far as they could see. A symphony of insects started up their evening calls and before long there was a golden flash in the air, then another, followed by a dozen.

Katara stood up, clasping her hands to her chest, looking absolutely overjoyed. "This is it!"

Before their eyes, golden light began to dance above the water and the grassland surrounding it. Understanding now why she had wanted to stay, Aang sat cross-legged on the grass, enjoying the performance as nature flourished around them.

Laughing heartily, Katara spread her arms out to the side and started to dance amongst the lights. The golden winking lights illuminated her dark skin and Aang watched breathlessly as she moved gracefully across the ground. Her movements seemed even more beautiful than when the two had danced in that cave with the fire nation school kids a while back.

She began to hum some musical number he wasn't familiar with. As she twirled, her brown hair danced in the air and the moonlight overhead acted as a stage light.

Suddenly, Aang understand the depth of her excitement. There was little in the way of life in the frozen South. What did live there was strong and adaptive, not beautiful and graceful. Needless-to-say there were no firefly moths dancing in the frigid cold air. Watching her dance, it was just another reason Aang was glad she and Sokka had joined him in the Avatar quest to begin with.

Looking up at the graceful waterbender, his heart swelled with love. He couldn't help but extend a hand to her. She completed her latest turn and saw his hand, smiling angelically. Taking it, she allowed him to gently pull her down into his arms. Physically connected again, he kissed her deeply. Moaning softly in her throat, she melted against him as her breasts pressing against his chest again. The bathing suit top was pulled down a bit from the contact and she was keenly aware that he could see the top of her breasts.

Caught up in the heat of the moment, she didn't even care.

Rotating from their seated position, Aang gently lowered her to the ground, laying her back onto the soft grass. As the glowing insects continued to fill the sky around them, Aang leaned down over her and kissed her again, one of his hands finding hers and intertwining fingers. Suddenly she felt his tongue on her lips and she moaned with excitement, giving him the access he sought. It was an odd first feeling for them both but the sensations created from their first tongue kiss shot pleasurable sparks up both their spines.

_Ty Lee was right. This is so nice._ Katara gripped his hand tighter, conveying how happy she was.

Their tongues dueled as his body molded against hers. They could feel each other's heart beat hard. Pausing for a breath, she looked up at him, her top barely staying in place as her chest heaved with each labored breath. Her beautiful eyes shone up at him, illuminating the blush that had crept up the bridge of her nose.

Their next kiss was even more passionate as they demanded each other's lips. Her hands came up to stroke his back as he moved to lie on his side, half on her, half on the ground. One hand that had been on her hip started to slowly move up her torso, until his fingertips were just under her ribs.

"Aang," she whispered in a husky tone, dropping her hand to cover his, partially to hold it, partially to stop its upward advance. "This feels so wonderful." She paused and took another breath, trying to get control of herself. "But we should stop before we go too far."

Aang tensed up, looking down at her with wide eyes. "Uh, did I do something wrong again?"

"No. No!" She gently pushed on his chest and the two of them sat up. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she brought her face close to his. He could tell she was trembling with emotion, as if holding herself in check was taking every bit of willpower available. "You are absolutely amazing and I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have such an amazing boy as my boyfriend. But I know that if we kept going…"

She looked at him seriously. "I'm just not ready. I mean, _we_ aren't ready. Both of us are still kids after all."

"You're right," he said, rubbing the back of his head. He was more relieved that he hadn't ruined the mood than he was about her wanting to stop. "It just felt so good I didn't want to stop."

"It felt that way for me too, believe me," she assured him, kissing his forehead where the blue arrow was. "It's just we have our whole lives ahead of us. Let's not rush into anything, ok?"

He nodded and the two embraced again for an endless moment, sharing one more long, passionate kiss before she gently pushed away and stood up. "It's getting a bit chilly. I think I'll put my robes back on and then we can head back."

Aang nodded and was about to stand up when the ground beneath him opened up. Caught off guard, his body was spilled into the hole as Katara's eyes widened in shock. "Are you alright?! What happened?"

Before they could react, the enemy was upon them.

A dozen men closed in around the lake. Whirling, Katara turned to face them as Aang struggled to free himself.

_The Dai Li?! No, wait… something isn't right._

The men closed in from three sides. With the moon illuminating overhead, she was able to get a good view of the group. The men assaulting her weren't dressed like the Dai Li. Rather, they were dressed in commoner clothing, torn and raggedy, what one normally saw on the downtrodden in the slums of the Lower Ring. It wasn't above the realm of possibility that an earthbending gang from the slums might get the idea to ambush tourists in order to make some easy cash. Her face tightened into a frown and she dropped into combat stance, vowing to make it as expensive an endeavor for them as she possibly could.

Aang propelled himself out of the hole with a quick burst of air and moved in front of Katara to face the mob as they closed in. He clutched his hand, wishing he'd brought along his new glider staff as he approached up to the nearest of the men, a scruffy and long-haired fellow.

"We don't have a lot of money on us," Aang said evenly. "But we won't be robbed of what we do have. I'd really rather not resort to violence." He leveled a finger as the closest individual. "But if we have to, you will lose."

Undeterred by the young boy's threat the men shifted from walking to running forward as their shouts broke the serenity around the lake.

As they approached, Scruffy reached into his robes with one hand, and when he withdrew it, Aang saw the all too familiar rock glove. "Watch out Katara! They are the Dai Li!"

"Well," she said, dropping into a bending stance, "that certainly didn't take long."

Summoning a burst of air, Aang knocked Scruffy back before he could unleash the glove. Still the mob came and as Aang dropped into a low combat stance, he was more than a little surprised when the majority ran past him. Turning, he watched the Dai Li swarm Katara, pressing her back against the lake.

Aang began to bend to take some of the heat off her when a glove shot by his face, missing by inches. Three agents turned to face him but they did not advance, seeming perfectly happy to wait for him to make the first move. He obliged and used a quick rock bending legwork Toph taught him to propel his body forward as if the ground was a wave and a surfboard all at the same time. The agents formed a rock wall to impede him, but Aang simply formed a high-speed air ball and rode it vertically up and over the wall, taking them by surprise. An air cyclone pushed one skidding backwards across the ground and the other two took to hurling rocks bent from the ground to keep him busy.

Face with at least thirty agents out for blood, Katara glanced over her shoulder and then retreated into the water. She was far less than thrilled to fight these jerks wearing the skimpy bathing suit, but it wasn't as if they would just hold still while she got dressed. Feeling the water lap at her ankles she gave the men a wicked grin.

"Cornering me in a lake probably wasn't the best move guys."

A barrage of rock gloves flew in her direction. She caught them all in midair by bending an ice wall before melting the ice and using the massive wave of water that resulted to push back the center cluster of men. One of the Dai Li tried to bend the ground up from under Katara to disrupt her concentration but all she did was use the water to pick her up and carry her farther out into the lake. Faced with the Avatar to their rear and a potent waterbender in her natural environment, the mass majority focused on her, some throwing rocks while others waded out with gloves held at the ready to engage her directly.

Rotating her arms rapidly, she met the rock barrage with blades of water, cutting them neatly in half. As the agents in the water leapt forward she summoned tendrils of water and batted the unlucky men across the lake, freezing their bodies to the surface of the water so that only their heads were visible.

Rocks and gloves continued to rain down on her. One glove got through, wrapping tightly around her hand in mid-bending but she simply used some water to freeze it and then froze the top of the lake and slammed her hand down onto the ice, shattering the rock and freeing herself.

From the opposite side of the narrow part of the lake, one of the agents managed to snag her leg with a chain produced from his robes. Giving a mighty tug, he tried to yank her to the shoreline. Freezing the water around her feet, Katara stopped her movement but the chain cut into her thigh, drawing blood. She winced from the pain and created a whip of her own, smacking the man under the chin and forcing him to drop the weapon.

The two agents facing him played the delaying game by avoiding Aang's bending while encasing his feet in rock or turning the ground into sand to slow him down. He grasped what the enemy was trying to do. The Dai Li had faced them before and they knew well what the odds were of victory. But spying had taught them much and they knew Aang's weakness was Katara. If they could snatch her, they would have him at a severe disadvantage.

He paused a moment and watched his girlfriend fend off twenty rockbenders from the safety of the lake, unleashing a watery hell that batted the men around with such ferocity that Aang almost felt sorry for them. They'd known the risk attacking in a place like this but apparently the chance to catch the two of them without any backup had proved to either be too tempting for Long Feng to ignore.

Turning up the heat, one of the two remaining agents tasked to holding him at bay extended his palm out in front, forming a stone spike that almost impaled Aang in the chest. At the last second he ducked under the attack and the point missed his head by inches. Using a blade of wind, he cut the attack into sections and then switched to earthbending, throwing the large rock disks back at the man, forcing him to take shelter under a rock wall.

The third agent caught Aang as he was turning around, and managed to pin his wrist to the ground with a well-placed rock glove. He used his free hand to bend a stream of water from the edge of the lake, catching the man in the back, hurling him into the sky, and then looping around to man's body, propelled him to the ground.

Recovering from the first blow, Scruffy and the last agent advanced, bending their gloves into blades and attacking at melee range. Determined as they were, the burst of flames Aang created next convinced the one man to stay back as Scruffy advanced from the opposite side, raising the blade high.

Rotating his hand that was trapped to the ground, Aang bent the earth into a stone gauntlet and raised it into the air, slamming it into Scruffy's chest, dropping him with one shot. The last agent growled in anger, raising his arms at a forty five degree angle and creating two huge walls on either side of Aang. Clapping his hands together, the two sections slammed together.

Aang had already rolled out of the way, nearly snagging the back of his red shorts as the sides closed. Stretching out both hands after rising into a crouch, he created a massive ring of rock around the man and pelted him from all sides until he fell into a stunned heap on the ground.

Seeing the battle was unwinnable, the remaining Dai Li tried to salvage the situation by bending together, forming a massive wave of earth they hurled at Katara. Leaning back, the waterbender brought the palm of her hands up to chest level and pushed towards the coming attack, intercepting it with her own wave of water. The agents pursued their numerical advantage and the rock wave started to push Katara's water back, subsequently forcing her body lower toward the water.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed back, adding even more water, using all her concentration. Her efforts paid off and the rock wave shattered. Using water tendrils as an extension of her own body, she batted the startled men around, knocking them to the ground.

She folded her arms as the water rose angrily behind her, waiting to be unleashed. She motioned with her hand, blue eyes shining in the moonlight. "Alright, who's next?"

Aang appeared at her side. Their momentum gone, the Dai Li who were still conscious grabbed their fallen comrades. One shot a hail storm of rocks at the two but Katara and Aang bent the water simultaneously and deflect the attack with a water wall. When the attack subsided and they dropped the water back into the lake, the men were gone with only the shredded landscape around them left to mark their existence.

"Are you alright?" Aang asked, watching her limp to the shoreline and sit down to inspect the wound.

"Nothing a little water healing can't cure," she said, applying some to the cut on her thigh. The water began to glow as she closed her eyes and concentrated, closing the wound and healing the skin until there was no trace of an injury at all, thanks to the fact that it had been a clean cut and not terribly deep.

"It's a shame they got away."

"At least we learned something," Aang replied. "They've ditched their uniforms."

"That makes the situation worse," Katara replied, retrieving the bag of clothes and throwing her robes on over the bathing suit. "It means they could be anyone hiding in a city of millions. We won't know who they are until they strike. That gives them the advantage."

"We should let the others know. Iroh too."

"First thing in the morning," she promised. "I think we took the wind right out of Long Feng's sails enough for one night."

"You were amazing out there!" he exclaimed with honest admiration. "You took on about thirty talented earthbenders all by yourself!"

"Well I was in my natural environment," she said with a grin, gesturing to the lake. "If not for that, it probably wouldn't have gone quite so well."

Shaking his head while smiling at her modesty, he extended a hand, helped her up. She fell into his arms and playfully wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Not the most romantic way to end a date, huh?"

He smiled softly. "Let's fix that."

Under the light of the moon the two lovers kissed. The moonlight interlude was over, yet they clung to each other well into the night, ending their first date surrounded by scars of rock and water.

* * *

Note from the Author: I recall the episode where Azula and the others went to their beach home and wore bathing suits, but I don't recall an episode where Team Avatar wore anything other than undergarments and loincloths, hence the introduction to bathing suits here.

I am a sucker for romance between two great characters. I hope you all had as much fun reading this chapter as I did writing it.

Comments and reviews are always appreciated. Let me know if any of you find glaring mistakes and I'll correct it ASAP.

See you in chapter 4!


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